Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 62250 Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.
Plant Cell. 2012 Jan;24(1):4-14. doi: 10.1105/tpc.111.089698. Epub 2012 Jan 6.
The advent of the postgenomics era has led to increased interest in exploring the role of gene networks and signaling pathways in controlling plant development. The last two decades have seen a particular increase in the number of studies focusing on the development of the Arabidopsis thaliana root system. However, the investigation of such a seemingly simple system as an Arabidopsis root can lead to problems in quantification and errors in interpretation if knowledge of root organization is lacking. In this article, we identify a number of these problems and give examples of potentially erroneous and correct determinations of lateral root parameters. Our aim is to bring this important issue to the attention of the plant science community and to suggest ways in which the problems inherent in quantifying the process of lateral root development can be avoided.
后基因组时代的到来使得人们越来越关注基因网络和信号通路在控制植物发育中的作用。过去二十年中，越来越多的研究聚焦于拟南芥根系的发育。然而，如果缺乏对根系组织的了解，那么研究这样一个看似简单的系统（如拟南芥的根系）可能会导致定量方面的问题和解释上的错误。在本文中，我们确定了其中的一些问题，并给出了一些潜在错误和正确的侧根参数确定的例子。我们的目的是引起植物科学界对这个重要问题的关注，并提出避免量化侧根发育过程中固有问题的方法。
